Finally, a conflict I can get behind, that isn’t motivated by press conferences and public opinion. Hae-young spends the episode in a frustrated snit, but it leads him to finally make a choice, and forces Seol to face some harsh facts of her own. Is it Love or Country? Kisses or Kings? And why’s a girl gotta sell out her country to get some smooches up in here?

EPISODE 10 RECAP

It’s the Love-Square-Face-Off, as Yoon-ju calls both men to pick her up, and then goes running to Hae-young in a hug. That puts Hae-young face to face with Seol, and Yoon-ju facing Jung-woo, as they hug and talk, but not really to each other.

Hae-young, eyeing Seol the whole time, tells her that he’ll always come if she calls, no matter what, and that she should have waited inside. Yoon-ju, looking right at Jung-woo, says that she just wanted to see him that much sooner. Dude, you people have ISSUES.

Hae-young tells Yoon-ju quietly that he’s not the one she waited for, but he’s going to take her hand and leave with her anyway. Yoon-ju catches on right away that this display is for Seol’s benefit, and tells Hae-young that he owes her one.

They start to walk away, but Seol bursts out, “Don’t go! Mr. P, don’t go!” Oh, you’re breaking my heart. I love that she’s not too proud to just tell him not to go. But alas, Mr. P must stand for Mr. Poopyhead, because he goes anyway.

Back at Dumpsville, Seol and Jung-woo sit dejected, until the professor offers to buy her something sweet, because that’s what people eat when they get rejected. I adore that you’re being nice to Seol, even though you’ve also taken a beating.

Hae-young drops Yoon-ju off and then returns to the palace, only to find that Seol still hasn’t returned and isn’t answering her phone. Neither is Jung-woo, which worries him as he paces around looking for her.

He finally finds her in the palace making ramen, on a portable stove no less. What happened to Gunnie the personal chef? He’d probably make you a ramen with smiley face chives or something.

The second he walks into the room, Seol tries to make a run for it, but she keeps getting tripped up over what to do with the half-cooked ramen, and he uses it as an excuse to keep her there. He starts out lecturing her as always, but then ends up asking worriedly why she didn’t pick up her phone. Seol: “To make your insides stew a little!” Ha. I do love her forthrightness. He realizes that he set himself up for that in leaving her there, but then to hide his feelings, he tells her, “Men’s insides don’t burn over women they formally rejected…Also, I don’t like milk.” Aaaargh.

Jung-woo returns home only to find Yoon-ju standing in his doorway. He watches silently as she hesitates, and then tries the old lock code on the door. It works. Satisfied with that, she turns to walk away and runs into Jung-woo.

She asks why he never changed the code, and he makes the excuse that it’s just a hassle. She says, eyes getting teary, that it’s a comfort to her. Gah, I feel the worst for Jung-woo because he has the utter misfortune of loving (or even having loved) such a stone-cold former human.

The next morning Seol wakes up to a giant mound of fan mail. Hae-young wakes up and checks the news, and finds Seol’s popularity on the rise. She’s even updated her website with a selca of her opening her fan mail. He laughs, and so do I, at the thought that this is what a 21st-century princess does to gain public favor. It’s not unlike being an idol star or an actress, and the meta in that is quite apt.

She calls him asking for advice on how to respond to her numerous letters of the I’m-in-love-with-you variety, and he jumps up to tell her to ignore them. She decides that she’s going to respond to every single comment and letter (yeah, good luck with that) and thinks that he’s best to advise, since he’s not one to “burn his insides” over her. Heh. Way to throw his own words back at him.

He tells her the internet is off-limits for a while, and tells her not to respond to anything, about anything. She wonders what difference it makes, if she answers questions honestly (about everything except her weight, heh).

He explains that every little question—whether she likes taxis or buses, red or blue—can be twisted to have political implications, which is why she shouldn’t answer. Well the red or blue question would certainly be a biggie in the States. She catches his drift, and then can’t help but ask if she shouldn’t answer this question then: Does she like Mr. P?

Getting in her face, he tells her not to answer that one, ever. She asks if even THAT is a political matter, and he tells her it’s the most political of them all. Oooh. True, but you’re the one who’s making it so, Mr. Diplomat. He also keeps her palace-bound unless she has his permission.

Hae-young gets called away to meet the President, who thinks it’s time he enter the palace in a formal capacity. Hae-young says that the princess isn’t ready for that, and tries to buy some more time. The President decides that he’ll have to bring her out of the palace then, and decides that an event at an orphanage should do the trick.

Yoon-ju meets with her father to discuss marriage plans, and she tells him that she’s going through with the wedding, and that Hae-young won’t be losing his fortune to the monarchy.

Secretary Oh tells Yoon-ju a critical piece of news—that Hae-young has found out about his father’s involvement in the death of Seol’s father. He says that no one knows the truth about how he really died, except for Hae-young’s dad, and he’s been MIA ever since.

Seol tries to get in touch with Dan, but Evil Sister is still fuming and doesn’t respond. Seol gets a call from her friend and promises to go see her, but Hae-young reminds her that she’s not going anywhere today.

She starts in on an excuse that her friend’s father’s father’s father died…but she’s clearly not so good at math since that puts us somewhere in the last century. He points it out (in the tone of do-you-think-I’m-an-idiot) and gives her homework on top of it.

At home, Dan stews and then finds a receipt on Mom’s phone for the flowers she sent to Seol. She throws another tantrum at Mom, upset that she’s always worked so hard to be the best, but Mom’s always loved Seol more. Oy, with your six-year-old woes, grown woman.

Mom cries and insists that she’s always loved her two daughters equally, but Dan remains frigid, even at Mom’s deluge of tears. I’m thinking, sociopath from an early age? I mean, what’s with you, robot girl? Or is it bad acting? I kind of can’t tell.

While Yoon-ju plots Seol’s demise with the opposition leader, Seol takes out yesterday’s note from Hae-young and swoons over it. How cute. But then she discovers that the note is written on a piece of an airline ticket, so she storms over to Hae-young to ask what it’s about.

She asks him in this hilarious mix of jondae and banmal, which he takes offense at, insisting that he’s her teacher, but she reminds him that she’s the royalty around here. She demands to know where he’s planning on sending her this time, but he tells her that it’s his ticket, and not to worry about it.

In their lesson today, he teaches her not to answer questions off the cuff, and throws a few out there about her favorite color: blue, and favorite singer: John Park, until he asks her favorite book. Seol: “The (female) Professor’s Evil Desire” He whirls around: “You read erotica?” Hahaha.

Seol: “…is NOT what I was going to say…It’s Tolstoy’s What Do People Live For?” Hae-young: “They live for erotica, apparently.” HA. He adds, “You’re not Lee Seol. You’re Ero-Seol.” (Which is a better pun in Korean.)

He tells her that the best way to deflect unanswerable questions is with a timely joke. She scoffs that her well-honed sense of humor is totally up to the task, so he tests her.

Hae-young: Do you like Park Hae-young, or Professor Nam?Seol: … … I like all men.Hae-young: Wanna die?

LOL. You told her to deflect with a joke. That’s what you get. She now starts deflecting his questions with her Mishil-speak, as he throws question after question. He casually tosses out, “When did you start liking Mr. P?”

She stammers, then realizes that he’s the one asking all the questions, so she starts tossing out ones of her own, following him out of the room. She asks if he still doesn’t want her to be the princess, but he doesn’t answer.

Jung-woo meets with Dan to ask about the royal satchel, but she refuses to answer, pretending that she wants to protect her sister from being kicked out of the palace. My ass. Even Jung-woo suspects that there’s something shady about the sister and the satchel, but can’t get anything else out of her.

Yoon-ju gives Seol the news that she’s been requested to do some charity work at the orphanage where she grew up, alongside the President. Yoon-ju scoffs at Seol’s bright attitude at being summoned to be the President’s cheerleader, but Seol just hilariously tells her that it’s a good deed, and she can get that “President ajusshi” to do some good work. Ha! Who calls the President “ajusshi”? She cracks me up.

She meets with Jung-woo, who tells her that Dan might have the satchel, but she’s not being very forthcoming, on top of which she’s wary because someone else has approached her about the very same thing. Jung-woo, ever the smart one (and thank god for that, really), tells her that Dan is likely someone who does NOT want her to be a princess.

He tells her that their biggest worry is that satchel. Seol: “Because it might be fake?” Jung-woo: “Because it might be real. Because then, we have no way of proving that it’s yours.” Well who didn’t smell that plot hole from a mile away? I’m just glad someone’s pointing it out to her before her sister knocks her upside the head with it.

Seol gets to work making some soup to take to the orphanage, and this time she enlists Gunnie’s help. He adorably teaches her how to cook with love (as in putting her love into what she makes), and Hae-young walks in on their cozy little scene.

He’s got jealous-exasperated-face, so Gunnie scoots out with a wink. Seol wonders what the big deal is, but Hae-young lays into her for agreeing to go to the orphanage without consulting him. She doesn’t see it as a big deal, which just makes him start yelling, that this is why he can’t let her out in the world, since she’s so clueless about everything. Well you can’t yell cynicism into her. She’s just that trusting. You should know, Mr.-tried-to-be-her-enemy-but-she-trusted-you-so-much-it’s-killing-you.

She cuts the tension with her Mishil act, and that calms him down as he tells her to stop watching sageuks. But he tells her to stop cooking, since she’s not going to that orphanage, ever! Once he leaves, she shouts back that SHE’s going to decide where she goes, without his permission! Then why are you shouting it when he’s gone?

Seol marches in to tell Yoon-ju that she’s going, and that’s that, no matter what Hae-young says. Yoon-ju’s like, yeah I’m the one who told you to go. She adds condescendingly that the princess ought to wear something pretty and go.

All of a sudden, Seol changes her mind. She realizes that Yoon-ju’s insistence that she go is the one indicator she can trust—that she shouldn’t go. Heh. At least you’re not that trusting a fool.

She decides to change the plan, and invites the children from the orphanage to the palace. She watches with happy tears in her eyes, as they run around and play, especially touched at the sight of two little girls running together hand-in-hand.

Hae-young goes to see Grandpa in a scene lit so drastically dark that it’s actually kind of funny. He asks about his father, wanting to believe that it’s some sort of misunderstanding, and that he couldn’t be responsible for the death of Seol’s father. Grandpa tells him that it’s what he might want to believe, but he’s certain that Hae-young’s dad is responsible.

Well at least that’s much more compelling as a reason for Hae-young to keep his distance from Seol, though it’s not a new plot, by any means. I’d like for once, to have a k-drama couple dig into their past and find out that their fathers were fishing buddies or something.

Yoon-ju, meanwhile, meets with Dan about the satchel. Yoon-ju out-bitches her in a round of you-show-me-yours, and overdoes it to the point that Dan storms out, with the declaration that Yoon-ju’s not the only one she can go to. Once she’s gone, Yoon-ju has her followed to figure out why she’s not the only game in town anymore.

Sure enough, Dan goes straight to Jung-woo, to tell him that she’s got the satchel. She presents it, and he nearly has an orgasm at the sight of it. He’s a little embarrassed at his er, love of history, but that’s the proof she needs to trust him with it, to at least find out the truth. She entrusts him with it to find out if it’s the real deal, adding for good measure that it’s hers. Like a little girl never stole something of her sisters and claimed it as her own? I really hope this isn’t going to be as obvious as it seems.

Seol reads Snow White to the kids, and Hae-young comes upon the scene and asks what’s going on. She says that since he told her not to go to the orphanage, she brought the kids here. He doesn’t really complain, until he finds out that she invited the President here too. Okay, maybe you ARE an idiot.

The second the President arrives, the so-called photo-op turns into an impromptu press conference, and Seol walks into it with trepidation, only NOW realizing what Hae-young was talking about. Gah.

They get fired with questions, and the President sits with ease, while Seol panics. Hae-young hesitates for a moment, and then steps in front of them to tell the reporters that there’s no political implication in the meeting, and extracts her before they can ask her any questions. Or at least before she can answer any.

Once out of earshot, she asks why he’s making such a fuss. Wait, so you STILL don’t understand what’s going on? Hae-young can’t believe it either, that she’s really so thoughtless that she doesn’t get the score. He spells it out for her: she’s being used.

He literally has to spell it out for her piece by piece, that the President is using her, at her expense and the orphanage. She finally gets it and stammers that she didn’t know, which he says is true, but she can’t get by not knowing these things anymore. Seriously. Well maybe since you know that she’s this naïve, you should do a better job of spelling these things out BEFORE she’s facing a firing squad of reporters.

He also has to spell out the implications of what he’s done, as a diplomat, in stepping in to save her. He tells her that she doesn’t realize what’s he’s put on the line for her. She gasps (it’s actually laughable that she has to be told every little thing before she gets it). She runs after him, but can’t bring herself to knock on his door.

Jung-woo gets word that the satchel is the real deal. Now comes the hard part of proving ownership.

Seol returns to her room, crying, and Hae-young broods. He finally makes a decision, and as the music swells, he walks down the hall towards Seol. Yoon-ju stops to ask if he’s crazy, doing that to the President, but he just brushes past her.

He knocks on Seol’s door, and when she answers, he comes out with it.

Hae-young: Let me ask you just one thing. Can’t you not be the princess? Is it really something you’d rather die than give up? Can’t you just not be a princess…and live as my woman instead?

O.M.G.

COMMENTS

Finally, a relationship gauntlet thrown! I was scared we were going to go yet another round of press conferences and Noble Idiocy. It’s high time the heroine get a dose of reality (even if it has to be spelled out for her like she’s a grade-schooler) and be given a real fork in the road—to choose between Hae-young and the throne.

Thankfully, there’s probably a bunch of different ways out than just those two roads, but it’s important for her to be given the dilemma, for the drama’s sake. At least now she’s got something real to choose between and fight for, if she knows how Hae-young feels, and what’s really at stake. Much, much better. Whew.

It’s admittedly a little frustrating that Seol is such a blockhead about the implications of every little thing she says and does, but I suppose that’s the point of her character, that’s she’s so naïve while everyone around her is so smart and tied to his/her own motivations.

But couldn’t she be like, a hair smarter, a teensy bit more aware, a tad quicker on the uptake? I like her unwavering trust and simplistic nature, but the stupidity is a little annoying. Especially since her character was made out to be so street-savvy in the beginning. Where’d all that resourcefulness go?

I’m happy with the direction we’re headed in, as long as Hae-young doesn’t pull an I’m-kidding-I-take-it-back or something, and as long as Seol begins to factor in all the pieces of the puzzle as she faces the big decisions. And would it hurt if you gave her another kiss to help sway her? ‘s all I’m sayin’.

it’s been there. someone just needed to sniff it to actually know it. lol.

—
Seol’s “ignorance” is frustrating but endearing. and we might think no one could be THAT ignorant/trusting. well, actually Seol reminds me a bit of my sister. she’s a smart woman but she just can’t distinguish whether a person is being overboard friendly or subtly using her for their advantage. so yeah, this side of Seol is still quite endearing for me, only cause it reminds me of my sister somewhat.

I want more kiss!!! My heart was beating in the last scenes XD I though HY going to kiss her.. when it ended with no preview I screamed 😮

I actually was like that in high school, too trusting. I’ve got one evil friend that has been using me and even stole some of my stuff but I just believed her. After my other friend enlighten me on what actually happen then I start to realise what was going on. I grow out of it tho, basically after came across bad people… I am not stupid or anything, I did well academically, but not street smart 😛

They would make the hottest babies…I mean cutest babies that would turn into hotties.

2.1.1.1.2 Sooshi MeoFebruary 4th, 2011 at 4:44 PM

-_- Ugh, I’d so be a cougar if that’d happen. Lmao.

2.1.1.1.3 paperFebruary 4th, 2011 at 6:57 PM

LMAO Sooshi… that would kinda make you a pedo D;

Babies don’t come out as teens :/

But omo~ KTH & SSH should so get togetha!!!

2.1.1.1.4 Sooshi MeoFebruary 4th, 2011 at 7:17 PM

Lol. I thought I corrected myself…CUTE babies that would TURN into hottest like grow into hotties so…no, I won’t be a pedo. When he’s 18…I’d be 40…haha. *Sigh* Young or old if they’re hot to me they’ll forever be hot.

I’m liking this drama again. Not that I didn’t dislike it, it’s just that I wasn’t as excited to watch it based on just the last few transcaps/recaps. Now that I’ve watched the episodes again, I forgot how much I liked Seol and “Mr. P”. Still hate Yoon-joo though. But I hate Dan more now. What is that brat’s problem?

At least they gave her real motivation last episode. Under all that anger there is someone who has separation anxiety and self-esteem issues. I mean how would YOU feel if you were semi-forced on parents whom you percieved didn’t want you and you’d already gone through separation? Abandoned once, not wanted the second time and seemingly favored for someone else, and just adopted because of her. That’s pretty heavty and she’s gotta have some serious abandonment issues, especially the way she tried to please her parents to be better than their “wanted” daughter.

Before that point I thought her character was bland and shallow. I wish the acting would live up to the new info. The motivation should have also deepened the acting.

I mean …. If she’s the princess (which we all know she is!! and NOT dan…) then i mean haeyoung will give up his money and all and marry seul… and become the prince… is that not how it’s supposed to work?!?!

I agree with sshfan. Haeyoung as princess’husband can have more power than just a diplomat and also why cannot be diplomat if his group give their assets to the country? He can form a new party and candidate to presidency. Everything depends on the people’s reaction and how they manage the political issues – see big money.

actually… i’m looking at the situation in the president’s perspective now and I guess you’re right…
Even though haeyoung’s feelings towards seul are real, so much so that he would give up his fortune for her.. it wouldn’t look so good in the media/citizen’s point of view!

I think, it would also be bad for LS, politically speaking. If you think about it by how it would look from the outside- A big corporation head disbands the current government in favor of a monarchy in which the ruler is his granddaughter in law. It would look like grandpa set the whole thing up so he could keep the nation’s ruler in his pocket. It would make LS look less than ineffectual, she would appear to be the pawn of a more powerful and wealthy man. Would you vote to reinstate the monarchy if you thought the monarchy would be corporately controlled? Would you spend your money supporting the corporation that’s trying to take over the country? LS would never be allowed to be princess (thereby nullifying grandpa’s efforts) and Gramps & HY would risk going bankrupt.

I didn’t realize how real scandals in S. Korea come into play in this plot line.
The gov’t-corporation link is trickier than I thought.
Direct quote from WikiSlush Fund Scandal – In October 1995, it was disclosed that former President Roh Tae Woo had collected political donations amounting to ₩500 billion (around $650 million) from businesses as contributions to his (secret) governing fund while holding public office between 1988 and 1993.Five heads of chaebol, among them the chairmen of Daewoo and Samsung, received two-and-a-half-year suspended sentences for paying bribes.

The public, not to mention the law keeping types, cannot look the other way just because two gorgeous people are in love. Even in Kdramaland, this Prince cannot marry this Princess and maintain their current positions.
There is way too much money involved here.
So the question is, how do they get out of this mess, Show?

6.1.3.2.2 JomoFebruary 6th, 2011 at 11:15 AM

As serious as my last comment tried to be, the fact that it came out of Grampa’s bits really ruins the mood!

6.1.4 elsieFebruary 4th, 2011 at 7:26 AM

I am hoping Dan is the real princess. Seul seems too airheaded.

I am thinking maybe Dan told Seul about her memories with her dad as a child to comfort her when Seul had lost her memory. Dan might know that she’s the real princess but is too smart to go after that life because she knows it will be a difficult one.

But what I am confused about is… Why don’t they do a paternity test/genetic test to determine if Seul is really the princess instead of the whole pouch business?

it’s not possible that dan is the princess. her real name was go eun byul, something like that. her name was changed by the foster parents to lee dan whereas lee seoul keeps her real name. also lee seoul has a picture with the couples back at the countryside in which the face is similar to the record in the orphanage. the foster parent’s first choice for adoption was lee soul and i guess that’s the root of lee dan’s jealousy. but the nuns recommended lee dan coz at that time, lee seoul lost her memories. perhaps that’s the reason why the foster parents adopted both of them instead.

That makes me think of the beginning of Dong Yi. It was practically CSI:Joseon Palace…kinda

6.1.4.3 maggiechooFebruary 5th, 2011 at 10:38 PM

I’m watching Ep03 again and in the flashback the Chairman gives Seul’s dad a satchel. He says it’s the Empress’s. Unless there are two satchels, I don’t think Dan is also Seul’s biological sister who happened to be separated and living with the mom until her death.

They could totally get married – because they both clearly love each other….but the circumstances make it not so black and white, what with Hae-young having father issues tied to HER father.

His grandpa gave him the runaround his whole life about his father and maybe ignored him as a grandson too? So now that all the answers are coming out, connected with the woman he loves makes it all the more complicated!

I totally feel for his character. HY is going through quite the internal struggle.

and where is MTV when you need them? this Love or Country shiz needs to be a reality TV show, like NOW. hehehe

you know, i’m gonna go ahead an say it– i’m kinda loving that Yoonju’s an all -out biotch-extraordinaire ™ because she’s not a thin plot device. so many of the Yoonju angles could be straightened out just by being freakin honest (!!!), but with Yoonju driving, at least you know she’s your big bad, because she’ll make solvable problems unsolvable, just out of sheer spite. LOL

last but not least, a big THANK YOU, gf! wonderful recaps, as always– i’ve always said that getting proper screencaps to depict a scene you’re describing is an art, and you certainly have a flair for it. you choose the ones that make me go ZOMG. 😀

I thought, before I saw the subtitles, that HY took Y’s hand because he didn’t want her to lose “face” in front of J. (I’m recalling the dinner when he agreed to marry Y in front of J). But then when I saw what he said about owing Y one, my theory evaporated.

I liked that he was half-speaking to Seul when YJ was hugging him (geez, what a B* to call both men and then run straight to one of them, ugh!)…but he took her hand and led her away to look as if he’s spurning Seul – so that she’ll hate him/feel rejected and get over him = make it easier for him to be against her…?

And YJ says “you owe me” because she KNOWS his motive behind the act and is going along with it, instead of calling him out, rejecting HIM and going home with Jung-woo…??

Damn, I read the recap for ep9 a few hrs before this was posted up and I was regretting it. Now I’m regretting it even more bcuz I have to wait a wk!! Grr at the addictiveness. But, oh well! I still <3 it {;

Because my mind is so fried from this couple I can’t even say anything coherent anymore.

(Or maybe school has started and already fried so many brain cells nothing legible is coming out.)

On the other hand, yes, all of a sudden towards the end I started getting angry with Seol. With her idiotic move. This is the first time. I mean, Seol!! You’ve been awesome and then suddenly you move into bimbo land?? You might not be academically smart, but I felt like you weren’t dumb enough to land into THAT trap. Seriously.

In her defense though, as far as SHE knows, the president supports her, so she doesn’t have reason to suspect him. We know, and HY knows, that president is scheming, but she doesn’t. She knows enough not to trust the wicked witch, at least.

I just want more screen time with the prof’s super cute smile. Maybe the show can just be LS and prof smiling at each other and HY looking on broodily, until his jealousy overtakes him and gives us some kissing to watch. Then….repeat.

I don’t think that Seol is stupid. She thought that the President is supporting her, and she did vote for the guy…She’s just dense (okay, a tad dense), but isn’t that what her advisors are for? As a diplomat, Hae-young, isn’t that what you’re for? I can understand Yoon-ju not saying anything, but Hae-young should have told her why. Anyway, that’s POLITICS.

for real. I understand HY’s situation a bit more than Seol though. Like, her motivations and her character in the storyline isnt fleshed out for me. Why is she set on being the princess is something I cant grasp still.

HY’s troubles, on the other hand, are crystal clear and refreshingly “realistic”. I get it. I’m rooting for him and I KNOW why.

At first, it was because she wanted to clear up her (real) father’s name. Then, after the press conference when HY prevented her from attending, it was because she didn’t want to lose/fail being the Princess after her Mom won’t talk to her. It’s her birthright, the only thing left of her father to her.

He’s wrestling because of his political affiliations. So he’s going back and forth. On one hand he can’t let her go, on the other he intellectually knows that he can’t do that.

He’s resigned himself to let himself feel the way he does, but it’s messing with him.

Girlfriday missed the part where his look said “Yes” to Seol’s question of, “Do you still want me to stop being the princess?”

I think in that moment he really, really wanted it, and the acting gave that away very well.

So his feelings are wrestling with his head. ’cause if she continues being princess… then he can’t have her, so distancing himself is better. But his feelings are winning out. The struggle is very subtle. I likes it that way. Some of the subtle parts of Secret Garden people missed out on too.

i absolutely love your recap its wonderful ….can they make this princess any more of an idiot!!!! pleeeeeeeeze somebody help her. Your recap made me laugh out loud and was more entertaining than actually watching this episode. In fact i think from now on i’ll read the recap before i watch..

How awesome would it be if she actually DID give up being the princess? Then she’s the one putting everything on the line. And she knows she’s not exactly suited for head-of-statehood at this point…plus, if she doesn’t become the princess, Hae-young gets to keep all that Dae-han money and she can still live like a princess…so what’s there to loose?

I think the old grand father has said before, they would be enough left over for them to still be ‘rich’ just not sticking rich, so its not a matter of him being left with ‘nothing’ All his toys where taken away, not because of the Princess but the grand father teaching him a lesson and he got them back as soon as he backed down. Also the money as said again by the grandfather was and is not his, it was money given to him by the last King to ‘safe’ the country. Instead he used it for his own benefit, thus his oppression of seeing things put right now before he dies.

I had a really hard time understanding the purpose of the last scene of 9/first scene of this ep.

It felt to me like the timing of HY trying to make Seol jealous was really off…shouldn’t he have been doing that a few episodes back, instead of in this one? It just seemed really pointless to me to have him trying to make her jealous over something so totally unproductive.

That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the rest of this ep, and I can’t wait to see the response to HY’s big request at the end…even though I have a feeling I already know what she’s going to say…*sigh*

I predict there are very few kisses in our near future, ladies, unless it’s with all the wrong people…

i think Haeyoung’s dad had something to do with Seol’s dad’s death. This isn’t like Secret Garden- here, Haeyoung’s dad probably killed Seol’s dad. Wouldn’t that just be bad fate between them? And wouldn’t it be disrespectful to Seol’s dad to have her marry his killer? And it is also disrespectful to the last official king because the grandfather had wronged him. It’s bad for the conscience- promising to give it all up as retribution for his past betrayal and then swooping in to marry the family into the royalty.

HY is a totally different man, who before these events had no idea about the past betrayals, and nothing to do with them. And I don’t think Seol would begrudge him anything either, just for his blood relations. But I guess this is what is tripping HY up – he can’t get past it and give up everything for her…?

The plotline is that she has not yet been accepted by the government and the people as an official princess. Until the election/poll is held she does not have any power and has not been able to make decisions on her own.

Do you think payback would be for Yoon-ju to have to plan the wedding for them? Hahaha 🙂

Besides that, Haeyoung cannot marry the princess for political reasons (I believe someone mentioned this before). If say, Haeyoung does marry the Princess, the credibility of the Monarchy will disappear, turning Dae Han Group’s attempt to restore the monarchy into a scheme for political power. Plus, I think that Haeyoung’s desire to be a public servant will be somewhat compromised as well.

Honestly, I think she was so overwhelmed with the goodness of her deed to think about the situation politically you know.

Even now, as the viewer, it’s hard for me to grasp exactly how the press conference could have backfired; imagine how it might have been for seol in that situation?

That said O M GEEEEEEE!!!! *happy dance* I love the pace the show is setting. I did think it tapered off in the middle and once they got the a palance I found myself wandering away from this drama but *puts on sailor hat*
I’m back on board!!!

thank youuuu for the recaps!
now i can’t wait for ep 11 🙁
ugh, the agony of having to wait for a week.

question.
although we now know that hae-young’s father hated seol and her dad and wanted them both dead, wasn’t it grandpa that unintentionally caused the death of seol’s father? i thought grandpa said that the car he was in crashed into seol’s father when they were chasing and looking for them?

The writers are being cleverer here with their choice of words, and which characters tell whom what.

Meaning, so far we have Gramps and YJ’s dad choosing words like, “I believe…” and “I think…” Add to that they aren’t necessarily reliable narrators. I don’t think they are lying, but I think there are pieces of the puzzle missing.

O.M.G. The last 5 minutes were so intense “my inside are still burning.” Loved when the music swelled as she stood before him with teary eyes trying to contain her feelings… and him for finally throwing away his armor because he could no longer bear its weight.
O.M.G. the moment felt so genuine.

Seeing this episode really reminds on how much I would like to see a female lead be THE force of nature in the drama. The center-of-the-universe not just because of the k-drama laws but simple because she’s that awesome.

Like a female Doctor House but not done over the top in a silly way like some Japanese dramas unfortunately seem to go with.

It would be so refreshing… Oh well, a guy can dream and in the meantime I can just rewatch Damo.

I didn’t think Seol was being too naive at the end. She truly thought the President was on her side and clearly felt comfortable enough abt him to refer to him as President ahjusshi. Man, what a betrayal! And I don’t think Seol is used to these sort of underhanded betrayals. The only person who was mean to her was Dan and Dan has been pretty transparent with her hatred for Seol.

I think this is part of why this drama gets me down sometimes. I love Seol, but I really feel sorry that the palace and the politics are like imprisoning her How many years can she last as a princess without wanting to give everyone the finger? She would be happier as a normal person. But then again, if she was never found, then she wouldn’t have had the chance to really fall in love with Haeyoung.

And I don’t think Haeyoung is that great of a tutor either. Too busy questioning her time spent with Jung-woo!

Finally, the drama started to get my interest with this episode. I like that last line of HY. I hope they will not twist the story by making it appear that LS is not the real princess because of the sachet. (Is that the proof of being the princess? The previous Eps already had LS slowly regaining some of her memory even told HY grandpa some of her recollections.) That will be so flimsy. Better for LS to just simply give up being princess and run away with HY. Well, let’s wait and see…. Thanks for the recap.

Why does Hae Young, if he is now beginning to care for Seol, would still think that getting out of the Palace is the best thing for her?

Since he is now not after the money anymore or the Dae Han Group inheritance then shouldn’t it be in his best interest as well for Seol to take her rightful place as the only known survivor of the Imperial Family?

Why would he think that choosing him over her responsibilities as Princess be the best thing for her? Isn’t this a tad selfish on his part? Hormones now overcome his sensibilities?

Or maybe he thinks she is not really fit for the role and he would be actually doing the country a favor by letting her off the hook? And her being his woman is the next best thing, in fact the better choice, in his opinion?

Anyhow, cant she be both Princess and his woman at the same time? What stops him from going into that direction? Why ask for forgiveness from her alleged dead father, the Prince? Is he about to do harm to Seol and is this request to choose him over the royalty connected to this secret plan? I thought he wanted to protect her that’s why he wont accept Yunjoo after she refused marriage with him?

I guess he is protecting LS in his own way…
he knows what the President is scheming …
knowing that LS is such kind-hearted soul, he doesn’t want her to be used, just like her father, the Late Prince was…
wasn’t he happy and elated when LS press conference at the parking lot successful?

since granpa trusts him, I hope he will reveal the true nature of the Pres to him, since Dae Han has supported him in his reign..

I was actually asking the same questions as you do…and reading many recaps and watching the subbed episodes…I could understand more sides of the characters..

As a bonafide fan of her majesty Princess Seol, however, I will keep on asking these questions until Mr Diplomat shows his genuine colors and stripes and assure us, her growing multitude of fans, where his loyalties truly lie. For now we will let it go and assume that he is only thinking of what is best for her, our most beloved Princess.

this is my first time commenting on dramabeans, so I got confused and replied to this question, not here but accidentally on the next page. I am certainly not as media savvy as seol! hope you guys find it and find it helpful

50.1.1.2 gominamFebruary 4th, 2011 at 3:56 AM

I think I am as confused as Princess Seol about HY…
in my earlier post, I mentioned that SL should just close the door in HY’s face…to let him understand how she feels (confusion)…

Nevertheless, I really love this drama..
Oh, am not Korean, but I love samgyetang..he he he..the food..that is..

Looks like Hae-Young hasn’t fully given up on the inheritance and he couldn’t snip off ties with the President that easy. Having said that, I think the involvement of the Pressie complicated everything for HY. Without the Pressie’s backing, HY can’t enter the palace and hang around Seol (Grandpa doesn’t trust him with matters pertaining to the princess) – esp. now that his main objective has shifted to protecting her rather than trying to keep her from ascending to the throne. Playing a double agent – now against the powerful one (while it seemed easier when he was acting against Seol’s favor because she isn’t someone of power) – has become difficult and a lot riskier. It would be easy, indeed, if Seol would just give up on the monarchy thing because Hae-Young wouldn’t have to protect her that much. How do you go against a sitting president who has lies and invisible connections up his sleeves? More than anyone, it’s the Pressie that’s the greatest enemy of the monarchy.

But backing out isn’t that easy – also – anymore for Seol. The DaeHan group had put a lot of investment and effort on the revival of the monarchy, and although it would be more beneficial for the company if the plan would be dropped altogether, it isn’t that simple to put a stop to a tricky and large-scale plan that was rolled out. Also, Seol is now known as the princess. She would still have to deal with people who have jumped in her ship.

How do you go against a sitting president who has lies and invisible connections up his sleeves? More than anyone, it’s the Pressie that’s the greatest enemy of the monarchy.

I think HY’s open defiance will bring out the true loyalties of all the power players here.
Because HY says by protecting LS, he gave up his future in politics, we are supposed to believe that his actions were fatal.

But I think what will happen next will be something completely different, and that the Pres will utter words that bely his weakness,
“We have underestimated, you, Park Hae-young.”
I think he is more worried about the Princess’s popularity than he lets on.

“…how HY’s loyalty to Seol will be shaken once his father comes back in scene. I’m curious at how HY would handle his version of the truth.”

yes, im also curious…HY really looks up to his dad and the possibility of his father being directly involved, or even responsible, for Seol’s father’s death will make things worse between him and Seol…or not.

50.3 JomoFebruary 4th, 2011 at 8:19 AM

Why would he think that choosing him over her responsibilities as Princess be the best thing for her? Isn’t this a tad selfish on his part? Hormones now overcome his sensibilities?

You are right in questioning this, because HY is wrong.

This is HY’s metaphorical U-Turn here, you know the one where the hero finally admits to himself the feelings he has hidden from the moment he fell for the heroine and drives dangerously across traffic lanes to show us how now nothing can stop him from having his love?

Well, LS has not given up on Being! the! Princess! yet.
Yes, she will be happy that he wants her to leave in order to be his woman, but she will suggest that he stay with her and help because she wants him to be her man.
That running away from their reality isn’t the way to prove their love, and staying together to face this makes the most sense.

@izzie:
Thanks for reminding us once again about why and how Hae Young happened to find himself embroiled again with the Princess. He should have given up on his riches and left it at that. But the President (no, not grampa, but the nation’s president) brought him back in with the promise that they’d work together to foil his grampa’s plan to restore the monarchy. Being a diplomat, he knew that he was dealing already with a problem by having the two-faced President. If he was any wiser, and wants nothing to do with that kind of problem in his life he should’ve avoided the President like a plague. But we find him agreeing to the secret plan. He must’ve thought that he was immune from Lee Seol’s charms and vice-versa for him to think he’d be successful at this…or he just cant help himself but be drawn towards LS and what better way to be near her than to agree with the plan. I think a bit of both. And also if he did not join in with the plan then we wont have a story to tell, right?

Which brings us back to now. He already crossed over to the point of no return. He chose to lock horns with the Prez and on national TV, too. His first thought was how to protect both himself and the Princess by suggesting they get out of the game and just take off and watch the sunset and let the monarchy-lovers find another princess to adore. Sweet.

Am I still on track, izzie? I just keep losing it what with all the cute 😉

@Jomo: Thanks for spelling that one out. Well, yes, I think it is part self-preservation that he is suggesting that they abandon the make-me-a-princess project. It’s the easy way out, don’t you think? The princess, if she really wants to be worthy of this role that her lineage requires, should not accept this from her man ;-). Princess or not, she shouldn’t shortchange herself. She deserves the best man there is, chaebol or not.

@YY: I am as confused as you are but with all the help of the good ladies here, izzie,jomo, gominam and all the others, i am making more and more sense of this drama. 🙂 and yes, the cute are just on track so yes who cares for easy answers if there is no cute, right? ugh. we love the unanswered questions, the mysteries, the confusion…part of the package 🙂 no questions, no love 🙂

He must’ve thought that he was immune from Lee Seol’s charms and vice-versa for him to think he’d be successful at this…or he just cant help himself but be drawn towards LS and what better way to be near her than to agree with the plan.

because from the git-go, HY boasts about his beauty and confidence. But nobody on this earth is immune to the pitfalls of lurve. No matter how handsome or smart, you will be on your knees someday powerless before the one who owns your heart.

i say amen to that, jomo! human beings are known to be too self-confident for their own good. pride cometh before the fall, the good book says 🙂

we may deconstruct all we want but things are still bound to take us off-balance. surprise. me. life. 😉

50.3.2.2 izzieFebruary 4th, 2011 at 9:22 PM

“He must’ve thought that he was immune from Lee Seol’s charms and vice-versa for him to think he’d be successful at this…or he just cant help himself but be drawn towards LS and what better way to be near her than to agree with the plan.”

LOL! Yep! Totally agree with you here. HY didn’t know what he signed up for. 🙂 But it might be good for the both of them, given what you pointed out as HY’s expertise as a diplomat. I also love it that there’s the intelligent and fast-thinking Prof. McHottie to Seol’s aid. And I’m excited about the possibility of these two men finally coming to an agreement and working as a team. Ooh, the men that Yoon-Ju counts on to be still wrapped around her fingers are now slipping from her grasps. 🙂

“I just keep losing it what with all the cute.”

Ya tell me. 🙂 I get nosebleeds just trying to figure out these MP characters. Excuse. Gotta get some tissue…

Prof. McHottie. I want one of those. Or a Chef Hottie-pants. I’m all for Team Gunnie.
I’m starting to like YJ more as the plot thickens. She’s just so good at what she does. And so powerful. At first, I thought she really loved the prof, but now I know that she’s playing everyone, I have to respect her pure evil.

50.3.2.2.2 samgetangFebruary 5th, 2011 at 4:20 AM

@ izzie: nosebleeding myself 😉

@cabbage: she is mighty respectable in that way 🙂

50.4 yunaFebruary 5th, 2011 at 11:58 AM

“Anyhow, cant she be both Princess and his woman at the same time? What stops him from going into that direction?”

no, ‘coz the fortune of the daehan group came from the monarchy fund that’s why grandpa wants to give it back to the living survivor of the imperial family. if seol and hae young will get married, hae young will definetely have the rights again to the inheritance thus grandpa’s integrity will be put in the bad light. people will not only doubt grandpa’s sincerity in giving up the fortune of daehan group but also hae young’s intention as well in marrying lee seol. no matter how he loves lee seol, it will always be questionable in the prying eyes of the public. that’s why grandpa wants hae young to keep his distance from lee seol and marry yong joo instead.